A recent introduction, with deep red to copper-red daisy-like flowers with prominent, red and saffron centres and widely spaced and fluted petals. This beautiful, perennial sneezeweed makes a wonderful, late summer companion for ornamental grasses and red, white or earth-toned flowers. More compact than many varieties, it also looks fabulous is a container. Bees and butterflies love it and it makes an excellent cut flower too.

Garden care: Heleniums are versatile plants that love plenty of sunshine and moist soil. They rarely suffer from pests or diseases, however young plants do need to be protected from slug attack. Tall varieties need to be staked. To encourage the plant to repeat flower deadhead back to side shoots that have flower buds emerging. Cut back by half after flowering to help prevent mildew. Cut down to the ground in late winter. Every two to three years divide the plants in spring to keep them in top condition. When replanting add loads of well-rotted organic matter to the soil to feed them and keep them moist.

Kniphofia uvaria

red hot poker

Many flowering plants can be encouraged to produce better and longer-lasting displays with the minimum of effort. A plant produces flowers in order to reproduce and ensure the survival of the species. Once a plant has flowered and fertilisation has taken

Indulge a passion for ornamental grasses by creating a prairie- or meadow-style garden. They can be richly planted with native wildflowers or a selection of complementary perennials and self-seeding annuals to create a naturalistic planting effect.

Many gardeners who are happy, even gung-ho, with the secateurs when pruning shrubs and climbers are surprisingly reluctant to take the shears to herbaceous perennials. Maybe this is because it just doesn't seem quite right to be cutting back all that new

In the third week of this month you can 'Chelsea chop' your summer-flowering perennials to delay their flowering times. Sedums can be cut back by two thirds to provide lusher foliage, but at the expense of flower.

Late summer can be a lacklustre month in the garden, but there’s one group of plants that always shine now - and literally look as fresh as a daisy. With their bright ray petals in yellow, orange, pink, purple or white, daisies flag up their presence to p

Heleniums make great partners for Rudbeckias, igniting those golden yellows with a touch of rufous-red. Taller varieties flower later than their shorter cousins. Helenium 'Rauchtopas’, meaning smoky topaz, has petals swept up like the rim of a sombrero,